Universal Design for Learning

BY DR. JESSE HAAS, MARTHA TRUJILLO M.A.

SAS OFFICE, EAST MESA CAMPUS,DASR ROOM 104A, ESPINA DASH ROOM 117

A Little BackgroundHistorically in the United States, persons living with a disability were often precluded from continuing their higher educational journey and were therefore marginalized by societal boundaries.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

The ADA story begins many years before 1990, when individuals with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities started to challenge societal barriers. Vietnam Veterans would play a large role in the advocating of equal treatment under the law.

Disability Rights Movement- long slow moving social revolution

1973- The American Rehabilitation Act- Section 504 is introduced as law for the first time.

1990- ADA becomes law in the U.S.

Higher Education Legislation Regarding Students with Disabilities

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 1973

The federal Rehabilitation Act is a Civil Rights statute designed to prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990

The ADA expanded opportunities for people with disabilities. It also placed disability under Civil Rights protections.

Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAA), 2008

The ADAA covers rights associated with ticket purchases,

service animals, personal mobility devices, among other disability-related regulations.

UDLWhat is UDL- Newcommer (2019) describes Universal Design for Learning as the following:

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that helps give all students an equal opportunity to learn and succeed.

UDL helps teachers use varied methods, materials, and assessments, so they can better meet the needs of all students.

UDL classrooms are flexible in the ways students access material, engage in learning, and show what they know.

The word universal may sound like UDL is about finding one way to teach all students. However, UDL actually takes the opposite approach. In this context, universal means being flexible to meet the needs of all learners.

UDL

Three Main Principles of UDL

Newcommer (2019) describes the main principles of UDL as the following:

Representation: This principle is about providing information in more than one format. For example, textbooks are primarily visual. But providing text, audio, video, and hands-on learning options gives all students a chance to access content in ways best suited to their learning preference.

Action and expression: This principle guides teachers to give students more than one way to interact with the content and to show what they’ve learned. For example, students might choose to take a pencil-and-paper test, give an oral or visually based presentation, or do a group project.

Engagement: This principle encourages teachers to find multiple ways to motivate students. We can sustain student interest by giving students assignments that feel relevant to their lives and letting them make choices. For instance, if you have students who struggle with reading, but love comic books, finding a graphic novel related to your history lesson can engage them more successfully than asking them to read a traditional book on the same topic. Providing multiple means of engagement also helps students feel that they are a part of the classroom community.

A Little More Guidance

https://youtu.be/VwA8cQ2xA9o

Making it accessible for a diversified class

Training teachers to author accessible content

https://preview.education.microsoft.com/en-us/course/9afd76de/1

Using Headers and Researcher to create content in Word

Executive function disorder- Example: ADHD impairs students capacity for organized planning, concentration, memorization, and time management.

Use Headings to: - Create sections for a paper- Break down an assignment into manageable parts- Create a table of contents

Creating accessible content in Word

Dyslexia or Visual perceptual Disorders (including developmental, cognitive, or learning disorders) may be

the cause of a student’s inability to benefit from printed material. The features below break down barriers by allowing students to create clear, well-developed content for their written assignments.

Use of Editor, Al-text for images and Accessibility checker:- Helps with spelling, and correct grammar usage - Helps with phrasing and sentence structure, improving the effectiveness of overall communication- Provides the opportunity to enter additional/more descriptive text for screen readers-Ensures the entire document is accessible

Creating content with PowerPoint for both teachers and students

Visual impairments, Color Blindness or Dyslexia – may represent an obstacle for students trying to navigate a

document.

- “A picture can tell 1000 words.” Make it accessible! Adding words to the pictures in your presentation will provide an accurate description for those students using screen readers, helping to give more meaning to the picture. Allows instructors to edit existing presentations to provide accessibility.

- Easily arrange text and pictures so they follow a more natural reading order.

Increasing engagement for diverse learners with PowerPoint

Use different shading techniques, add contrast and texture for readability for charts and graphs, contrast

on background and text, use adequate font size, refrain from using text that moves or animates constantly. Focus on visual accessibility so readers can navigate and understand the content with ease: Color is not the only method of relaying information.

- Color Blindness (Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) – Inability to see red, green or blue light

Affects approximately 1 in 12 men (8%)1 in 200 women in the world (0.5%)National Eye Institute

Creating accessible content using Templates (for teachers and students)

Developmental, cognitive or learning disorders – It is difficult starting a document from a blank page. Using templates gives students a jump start, allowing them to focus on the content not on formatting. It enables teachers and students to create documents accessible for diverse audiences.

- Spell checker - Alt Text- Accessibility checker- how to fix errors indicator

Digitizing content with Office Lens

Visually impaired, ADHD, Cognitive Disorder - Empower instructors to create new material from old resources making them available to the whole class, providing independent learning, and accessibility. Enables student to capture notes from the board and turn them into readable, editable, text.

- Office Lens – free app for phone or mobile device using your personal or school account- Digital upload- Multiple choices to export your material - Immersive Reader- Viewable, editing, highlighting and font size and space capability

Updating existing content with OneNote-Going paperless

Visually impaired, Blind or student with print disabilities – The ability to generate digital, paperless, and accessible documents to service diversity in our classrooms. Using OneNote allows teachers to forward digital material instead of paper handouts . The information is accessible and always at their fingertips.

- Office Lens – free app for phone or mobile device using your personal or school account- Change URLs to more descriptive links to access graphs, pictures or other resources- Using Alt-Text to describe pictures with screen readers- Add an audio files (your voice) with detail of pictures including colors and textures

Skype and Translator

Hearing impaired and deaf – Skype has the capability to connect people across the globe in real time. More importantly, it allows teachers and student to interact and to ensure live content and accessibility to all.

Using these tools, students can still participate in classroom live lessons through Skype, or access recorded lessons at a later time if they are absent due to disability, compromised immune system or absent for sports from school.

-Translator allows you to communicate with students in their own language. - Skype- Multiple choices to export your material

Additional features in Microsoft Word

Microsoft also has many other features available to offer your classroom, such as:

The Use of:

- Virtual Speakers to visit your classroom- Virtual field trips

Microsoft Word Presentation

Training by: Robin Lowell and Beth Dudycha

Universal Design and Universal Design Learning Accessible Content

https://preview.education.microsoft.com/en-us/course/9afd76de/6